Automatic bookmark



May 1 1961 u. s. RICHARDS AUTOMATIC BOOKMARK Filed May 28, 1959 GREETINGWW! n" v INVENTOR. /r/ i Afcfiams WWW United States Patent AUTOMATICBOOKMARK Url S. Richards, 1418 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich.

Filed May 28, 1959, Scr. N 0. 816,576

7 Claims. (Cl. 116119) This invention relates to an automatic bookmark.The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a bookmark that may be placed in a book and retainedtherein by the pages of the book to swing downwardly into place or pagemarking position as the book is closed and swing upwardly out of thebook to permit unobstructed reading and turning the pages of the bookwhen the book is opened.

Second, to provide a bookmark that automatically inserts itself betweenthe two pages of a book that are open as the book is closed.

'I hird, to provide a bookmark having the foregoing properties which canbe inexpensively manufactured from a single sheet of paper or lightcardboard.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from aconsideration of the following descrip tion and claims. The drawings, ofwhich there is one sheet, illustrate three forms of variations of thebookmark of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a front plan view of a closed book with the bookmark in pagemarking relation therein.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the book in partiallyopened position and with the bookmark of the invention in the partiallyinserted position it automatically assumes upon positioning the book inthis position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a single unitary blank or sheet ofpaper or cardboard from which the bookmark in Figs. 1 and 2 is formed.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the blank shown in Fig. 3 partiallyfolded in erected position and ready to be mounted in a book.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a first modified form of thebookmark also made up from a single sheet of material.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a second modified form of thebookmark.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the bookmark of the invention consists of afront retaining sheet 1 and a back retaining sheet 2 that are insertedin the book 3 just inside the front and back covers thereof respectivelyand project upwardly beyond the upper edge of the book. A place markingfinger 4 consisting of integral hingedly connected arms 55 connects theretaining sheets in spaced relation. In the erected operative positionof the bookmark the arms 5, 5 are connected to the retaining sheets 1and 2 along inclined folds 6, 6' that incline downwardly and rearwardlytowards the adjacent inner or rear edges of the retaining sheets. Thelength of the arms 5, 5' is such that the adjacent edges of theretaining sheets 1 and 2 are spaced from each other to clear the boundedges of the pages of the book.

When the book is closed as in Fig. 1, the place marking finger 4 foldsdown between the pages of the book that were open when the book wasclosed. In this position the arms 5, 5' are folded into faced lappedrelation and are closed on their connecting fold line 7. As the book isopened, the upper ends of the arms 5, 5' are sepa- 2 rated and theinclined folds 6, 6 raise the arms out from the between the pages of thebook and swing them upwardly above the upper edges of the pages: so thatthe pages may be read and turned in the usual manner.

When the book is again closed the arms 5, 5' and finger 4 descend andfind position in the new place in the book. Note that the separatingmotion of the upper ends of the arms 5, 5 automatically starts theseparation of the pages of the book at the marked place in the book sothat it is unnecessary for the reader to run his finger down the side ofthe place marking finger to open the book at the exact marked page.

The form of the bookmark shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is is made from a singlesheet or blank 8 of paper or cardboard of suitable weight and stock. Thestock should be stilf enough to provide substantial resiliency in thefolds 6, 6' and 7 and to give the arms 5, 5' suflicient strength tosupport their own Weight in swinging into and out of the book. The stockcan be plain or decorative and may carry selected printed matter oradvertising as indicated at 9, 9. The arms 5, 5' extend across the topof the blank and are separated therefrom by a slit 10. An auxiliaryconnecting strip 11 connects the retaining sheets 1 and 2 below the arms5, 5' and is folded in the center as at 12 and at its points ofconnection to the sheets as at 1313. The fold 12 is convex and the folds13, 13 are concave as viewedin Fig. 3.

The top portion of the sheet from which the arms.5, 5' are formed isconnected to the remainder of the sheet along concave fold lines 14, 14'and is folded forwardly and downwardly over the upper ends of the sheetsland 2 and the auxiliary strip 11 prior to using the bookmark. For thisreason the fold 7 is concave in Fig. 3 and the folds 6, 6 are convex andinclined towards the fronts of the sheets 1 and 2 because they arereversed when folded down.

The modified form of the bookmark shown in Fig. 5 is the same as that inFigs. 1 to 4 except that the auxiliary connecting strip 11 is omitted.The remaining parts identified by numerals with the suflix (a) thereforeperform the same functions as their counter-parts in Figs.

The modified form of the bookmark shown in Fig. 6 is made in two partsand suggests the use of heavier stock. A main blank 15 is notchedcentrally from the bottom as at 16 and concavely creased or folded as at17, 17' to form the retaining sheets 18 and 19. A single long strip ofstock 20 has concave folds 21, 21' formed near its ends to formattaching legs 22, 22' that are adhesively secured along the outer edgesof the sheets 18 and 19. Convex angled folds 23, 23' extend the centerof the strip across the top of the main blank and a central convex fold24 divides the center of the strip into two arms 25, 25' of a markingfinger. Desirably, the combined length of the arms 25, 25' between innerends of the folds 23, 23 is somewhat longer than the distance across theblank 15 between the inner edges of the attaching legs 22, 22' so thatthe arms 25, 25' and the marking finger bow upwardly or forwardly fromthe front face of the blank 15 when the marker is in opened flatposition.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A bookmark comprising a single integral blank of fold-able paperstock having a central portion cut from its lower edge to form a notchextending to adjacent the top thereof to form front and back retainingsheets, a first connecting strip at the top of said notch connected tosaid sheets by vertical concave folded con nections and having avertical convex fold in its midsection, and a second connecting stripconnected at its ends to the tops of said sheets and separated by a slitfrom said first strip and the adjacent inner ends of the tops of saidsheets, said second strip having a concave e 2,984,205 I f fold in itsmid-section forming the end of a page marking finger consisting of twoarms, the ends of said arms having downwardly and outwardly convex foldstherein extending to the ends of said slit, said second strip beingconnected to said sheets along concave fold lines to permit downwardfolding of the second strip over said first strip.

2. A bookmark comprising a single integral blank of foldable paper stockhaving a central portion cut from its lower edge to form a notchextending to adjacent the top thereof to form front and back retainingsheets, a first connecting strip at the top of said notch connected tosaid sheets by vertical concave folded connections and having a verticalconvex fold in its mid-section, and a second connecting strip connectedat its ends to the tops of said sheets and separated by a slit from saidfirst strip, said second strip having a concave fold in its mid-sectionforming the end of a page marking finger consisting of two arms, theends of said arms having downwardly and outwardly convex folds thereinextending to said slit, said second strip being connected to said sheetsalong concave fold lines to permit downward folding of the second stripover said first strip.

3. A bookmark comprising a single integral blank of foldable paper stockhaving a central portion cut from its lower edge to form a notchextending to adjacent the top thereof to form front and back retainingsheets, and a connecting strip connected at its ends to the tops of saidsheets and separated by a slit from the adjacent inner ends of the topsof said sheets, said strip having a concave fold in its mid-sectionforming the end of a page marking finger consisting of two arms, theouter ends of said arms having downwardly and outwardly convex folds,said strip being connected to said sheets along concave fold lines topermit downward folding of the strip over the upper edges of saidsheets.

4. A bookmark comprising a single integral blank of foldable paper stockhaving a central portion cut from its lower edges to form a notchextending to adjacent the top thereof to form front and back retainingsheets, and a connecting strip connected at its ends to the tops of saidsheets and separated by a slit from the adjacent inner ends of the topsof said sheets, said strip having a convex fold in its mid-sectionforming the end of a page marking finger consisting of two arms, theends of said arms having downwardly and inwardly concave folds thereinextending to the ends of said slit.

5. A bookmark comprising front and back retaining sheets, and aconnecting strip connected at its ends to the tops of said sheets andseparated by a slit from the adjacent inner ends of the tops of saidsheets, said strip having a convex fold in its mid-section forming theend of a page marking finger consisting of two arms, the ends of saidarms having downwardly and inwardly concave folds therein.

6. A bookmark comprising front and back retaining sheets connected atthe top in spaced relation to be positioned inside the covers of a bookand foldable therewith into closed position, and a page marking fingerconsisting of a separate strip of foldable material having a cen tralconvex fold defining two laterally extending arms connected at theirouter ends to the upper portions of said sheets along downwardly andinwardly inclined fold lines, the ends of said strip beyond saidinclined fold lines being secured adhesively along the outer edges ofsaid sheets.

7. A bookmark comprising front and back retaining sheets adapted to bepositioned inside the covers of a book and foldable therewith intoclosed position, and a page marking finger consisting of a strip offoldable material having a central convex fold defining two laterallyextending arms connected at their outer ends to the upper portions ofsaid sheets along downwardly and inwardly inclined fold lines.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS422,423 Lanchester Mar. 4, 1890 FOREIGN PATENTS 595,295 France July 13,1925

